Pre-1980s, all credits for feature films were at the beginning of the film. When the film was over, a nice "The End" card would come up, and then fade to black. That was it. Somewhere in the 80s it flipped to just above the line credits at the beginning of the film, and then full credits at the end. As time goes on, it seems like fewer people care about the people making the thing than just using up the labor of the creators with little appreciation.